Best Golazos from World Football This Weekend
Our latest weekend golazo ranking contains stunning strikes of all shapes and sizes: There are overhead kicks in Serbia, dazzling solo runs from Sweden, Olimpicos from Japan and a classic "thronker" from the USA.
Before we get into the top 10, honourable mentions go to Basel's Matias Delgado for his free-kick against Sion, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's lovely winner in the Community Shield, Leeds United's brilliant team effort against Everton, Kenny McLean's cheeky header for Aberdeen at Tannadice and, last but not least, Xavi's free-kick on his Al Sadd debut.
Enjoy the ranking, and give your thoughts in the comments section.
10. Johannes Geis (Schalke) vs Twente
1 of 10Schalke new boy Johannes Geis made an excellent first impression on his new employers on Sunday during their friendly draw against Twente.
The 21-year-old opened the scoring in the 27th minute with the kind of long-range free-kick very few 'keepers in the world could have put a glove on.
9. Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool) vs. HJK
2 of 10Liverpool paid a visit to Finland on Saturday and came away with a 2-0 friendly win over HJK in Helsinki.
Philippe Coutinho doubled his team's advantage in the 79th minute with a wonderful right-footed shot across goal. The Brazilian's effort appeared to take a slight deflection on its way to the net, but it is certainly indicative of the quality we should expect from him in the coming season.
8. Taylor Kemp (DC United) vs. Real Salt Lake
3 of 10Over 17,000 fans at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C., witnessed a 10-goal thriller on Saturday evening, as high-flying D.C. United earned a 6-4 win over Real Salt Lake.
The pick of the goals was Taylor Kemp's left-footed rocket in the 59th minute to put the home side 3-2 ahead.
A solid finish for a defender!
7. Elvir Maloku (Hajduk Split) vs. Slaven Koprivnica
4 of 10Hajduk Split went two goals behind at home to Slaven Koprivnica in their Croatian 1. HNL (first division) match on Sunday but got back into the game through a piece of magic from 19-year-old Elvir Maloku.
The teenage striker scored a delightful lob just before the hour mark, which had shades of Philippe Albert's legendary '90s chip over Peter Schmeichel.
Hajduk fought back to earn a 2-2 draw.
6. Koke (Atletico Madrid) vs. Sagan Tosu
5 of 10Atletico Madrid are currently touring the Far East, where they drew 1-1 with J-League side Sagan Tosu on Saturday.
The Rojiblancos' goal came in the 18th minute directly from a Koke corner.
Everybody loves an Olimpico!
5. Sam Johnson (Djurgarden) vs. BK Hacken
6 of 10Djurgardens remained atop the Swedish Allsvenskan this weekend with a 2-1 victory over BK Hacken.
Both the victor's goals were scored by Liberian striker Sam Johnson, the second of which was a stunning solo winner a few minutes before full time.
The 22-year-old picked up the ball deep in his own half and proceeded to evade challenges from several opponents before slotting home in style.
4. Christian Benteke (Liverpool) vs. Swindon
7 of 10Liverpool actually played two friendlies over the weekend, following up Saturday's aforementioned victory in Helsinki with a 2-1 win over Swindon Town at the County Ground on Sunday.
Christian Benteke marked his Reds debut with an incredible goal to open the scoring in the 48th minute. The Belgian controlled a flicked pass from Joao Teixeira on his chest before unleashing an unstoppable volley.
3. Ognjen Ozegovic (Vojvodina) vs. Javor Ivanjica
8 of 10A few days ago, Vojvodina striker Ognjen Ozegovic scored a beauty against Sampdoria in a Europa League qualifier.
On Sunday, the 21-year-old was back in action in the Serbian Super Liga—and he added another moment to his growing highlight reel. In the 74th minute, Ozegovic put his side 2-0 up against Javor Ivanjica with a textbook overhead kick.
Tune in next week to see his next golazo!
2. Fredrik Holster (Assyriska) vs. Ostersunds FK
9 of 10Sam Johnson's goal wasn't the best one scored in Sweden over the weekend.
That honour goes to Fredrik Holster, who scored a Bobby Dazzler of a half-volley for Superettan (second division) side Assyriska in their 4-2 win over Ostersunds.
You can't strike a 35-yard volley much more sweetly than that!
1. Romain Alessandrini (Olympique Marseille) vs. Juventus
10 of 10Juventus suffered a 2-0 loss to Marseille at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday, and the Ligue 1 side took the lead through a stunner in the 35th minute.
Picking up the ball on the right flank, Romain Alessandrini managed to beat Gigi Buffon from distance with an outrageous lob. Many suspect the French midfielder actually botched an attempt at the cross, but there's no doubting the quality of the finish.
